Nintendo has had 144 GitHub repositories of Switch modchip firmware taken down under a DMCA notice
Owners of installed modchips can no longer update or reflash their firmware, and future modders lose access to the code.
Nintendo of America has used a DMCA takedown notice to remove 144 GitHub repositories, including a parent repository, that host firmware for Nintendo Switch modchips such as SX Core, SX Lite, Picofly and HWFLY. The company argues the firmware performs voltage glitching during boot to bypass protections and run pirated games, and it cites a US Department of Justice case against Team-Xecuter to support treating distribution as unlawful trafficking. Existing modded consoles keep working, but owners of installed modchips will not be able to update or reflash their firmware, and future modders will lose access to this code. The move comes as AI-driven recreations of Nintendo games make copyright enforcement harder to sustain.
Why it matters
The takedown reaches beyond the individual modchips named in the notice, because it removes the open-source code that owners and modders depend on to keep their devices current. Existing modded consoles keep running, so the immediate effect falls on people who want to update or rebuild firmware. The notice's reliance on a Justice Department trafficking case against Team-Xecuter suggests Nintendo is treating distribution of such code as the core issue, not just individual use. How far the enforcement extends beyond these repositories is not clear from the facts available.
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